***Tina Turner's life may be as
passionate and fiery as a storyline in Eastenders or similar soap opera,
but it is the music that you ultimately take away from this lively show.Reliving the timeline from Anna Mae Bullock's
first meeting with Ike Turner to her transformation into the Tina Turner
of the 1980s, Soul Sister gives you an emotional insightful journey into
the singer's life.
From early on, there is a talented live band on stage with backing
singers and dancers who bring the Ike and Tina Turner Revue to life.

It's a dynamic first half chartering Tina's early
hits and drama, with the added bonus of a video screen highlighting
events of the year being portrayed, such as John F Kennedy's death or
Rosa Park's arrest.

It all helps put the timeline and people in
perspective, especially with the backdrop of the civil rights movement
and hearing how Ike saw his father beaten to death for talking to a
white woman.

THICK AND FAST

Moving from Motown tracks to the '70s, nostalgic
tunes come thick and fast from A Fool in Love to I Idolise You, Shake
a Tail Feather and I'm Blue. But there will be plenty more
music as this show contains a total of 24 of Tina's songs.

There's even a clever way of incorporating Phil
Spector's voice into the proceedings as Tina records River Deep,
Mountain High in a studio.

Meanwhile, the second half focusses heavily on
the doomed relationship between Ike and Tina, and although the domestic
abuse is an important aspect of her story, the gloom of beatings, drugs,
swearing and unfaithfulness slow down the tempo, with some scenes
seeming to drag. Songs like I Don't Want to Fight Anymore do
however fit perfectly into this backdrop of marital discord.

Impressive Maria Omakinwa, performing the lead
role at Malvern, has a powerful voice in her own right and manages to
expertly mock Turner's movements and sounds to such an extent that it
was easy to become lost in the music.

Chris Tummings, who formerly featured in
well-loved Channel 4 sitcom Desmond's, plays grisly husband, Ike. It is
to his credit that despite Ike's many, many flaws, his portrayal makes
you also understand why it was hard for Nutbush's most famous daughter
to leave him.

But to the relief of everyone, she does, and
heads towards an uplifting finale of the star in concert performing some
of her most loved songs.

Opening with Private Dancer and concluding
with The Best, this is not just a warts and all biography but a
discography that fans of Tina Turner will want to see. To 20-07-13.Alison Brinkworth